jmpurdy
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2001
- Messages
- 653
Good evening all! Back today from 5 nites at SSR. Not creative enough for a day by day report, but can offer some observations and recommendations from our perspective. The travelers: myself, (grandma/mom), DH (grandpa/dad/pops), DD 27, DD 25, DSIL and darling grandson, 9 months (is there a cute word for this??? DGS?). First trip with an infant in a looooong time, so it was expected we would be catering to his schedule, and yes I now remember how tiring it is to live with a baby! He was wonderful, however, and I am amazed how easy it really was. He has been well trained by my daughter to fall asleep pretty easily and took his needed naps. We were not out late and again, I salute them for not dragging around a tired baby just because they (er, no that's we) paid for the tickets and by gum we are going to get our money's worth.....blah blah blah. Nope, that's not us. When we are tired, we go back to the resort. Saw my fair share of very overtired kids hanging out of strollers trying to get their parent's attention to no avail. Can't stand it. We knew from the start that we would all help out with Aidan and we still were able to see everything and go on all the rides we wished. The child swap works like a charm. Don't be afraid to use it! It's better than a fast pass because you don't have to leave and come back! You can, but once the first group comes off the ride, the 2nd group (up to 3) can go right on thru the fast pass line. Used it alot. Here we go with the very abbreviated report:
First time at SSR. Beautiful resort. Very large and spread out. Used Florida Tours. Very prompt, courteous and would not hesitate to recommend them. Alittle late for p/u back to airport. Driver apologized profusely and even rejected first attempt at a tip, but of course we persevered and he took it. Can't help traffic and the dispatcher even got on the phone with us to make sure we were satisfied. Wow.
Rented baby equipment (full size crib, exersaucer and toys) from A Baby's Best Friend. If you have an infant, do it! Well worth the cost. Aidan slept very well and the toys/exersaucer were welcome distractions and a safe place to put him for a few minutes. Everything clean and packaged well.
Switched from a studio (first nite) to 2-1 bedrooms (4 nites). The switch was pretty painless, but did take alittle longer than we thought. However, the last day service more than made up for it as we pre-arranged bell services to retrieve all the luggage and all the baby equipment in time to be picked up for the airport. Very efficient and friendly. Front desk very pleasant. Asked for and got Congress Park water view.
Crowds: seemed more crowded than it was. Mornings were almost walk ons.
Christmas decorations/music were still in full force. Must admit, it felt weird hearing the music a week after the holidays! Don't think we appreciated the decorations as much either just because, well, it's over!
Experienced a few firsts this time. We are seasoned disney lovers, but tend to do the same things, so this time we tried a few different things. Ate dinner in Italy. Wasn't our first choice (Canada was), but we loved the food there. Extremely attentive waiter and we tipped accordingly. Food was delicious and dessert heavenly. Had dinner at Yakitori House one evening and it was just ok.
Had one gastrointestinal experience too. My SIL and I had a frozen Italian Margarita from the booth outside and we both got sick from it. He, shall I say, more violently than I, but my reaction was a bad case of Montezuma's revenge. We were the only ones who were ill, and the only ones who had this drink. So, I think it was the margarita (from a machine).
Saw Fantasmic for the first time at MGM and we loved it. Very well done. Also saw Lion King for the first time. I cannot recommend this show enough. So entertaining and magical. Now speaking of magical moments!!!! We got one! The kids all went on Expedition Everest while we did a child swap with Aidan and they came running off the ride with all day Fast Passes for their Dream Wish!!!!! The entire train got one. I was so happy for them. Aidan was given stickers by cast members throughout the week and one parade cast member stopped during the parade to interact with him and Aidan let out a gorgeous smile much to the entertainment of the people across the street. It was priceless.
I cannot think of anything that was a real negative on this trip, but here are my quick recommendations:
Expedition Everest: Kickin' ride. In every way, a really fun coaster.
Single Rider Line: If you can pull yourself away from your family members for the duration of a ride, do it. Faster than a fast pass line. All my kids are adults, so no issue here!
Tower of Terror: What was I thinking??? I thought I could handle this ride! Went on it a long time ago and my memory clearly failed me because I came off this ride literally shaking. I will NOT be making this same mistake ever again. Even my DD said that our particular 'sequence' was a long one. Great for me right? Not.
Pirate tutorial: See it! It is obvious that people do not know about this yet as it is not posted anywhere. A security guard approached us because we looked confused (nah, we always look like that!) and we just told him we couldn't decide what to do next. Then we asked him about the pirate tutorial, and he lifts off his hat and lo and behold, he jots down the schedule for the day! Why thank you! We were there for the first show of the day and it was hilarious!
Captain Jack and Mac are a perfect duo and it is an audience friendly show right outside of the POC building. You just form a circle around them and enjoy the antics. Loved it.
The addition of Captian Jack to the POC ride: We really liked it.
Oh, I did think of a negative...not Disney's fault. As we were walking into the Indiana Jones show, it was announced that it would be standing room only. Ok, no problem. I carried Aidan and as we approached the entrance, people started to push and for a split second, I was really scared. I didn't yell, but I did state in a louder voice, "people, I have a baby here"!
It would have been very easy for someone to stumble and fall and would the crowd have stopped pushing? I don't think so. And as I have learned, once inside, it wasn't crowded to the very far left of the arena and of course there were seats still available down front! Yea!
No, we weren't in the center, but we didn't care.
We found that 5 nites just isn't enough! We did not get to enjoy the SSR amenities at all. It was very cool mid-week and we did enjoy the parks during the day. By 8-9 we were exhausted and gladly used our darling grandson as our excuse to go home too! The resort was a great place to spread out and relax at nite. If I am being honest, I like the lushness of OKW better, but liked the food and selection more at SSR. Less fried stuff and more options. We rented points from 2 DVC owners (for the studio the 1st nite and the 1 bedrooms thereafter). Had very positive experiences and will do it again. We are a very responsible family and respectful of these beautiful resorts. A Disney cruise is being discussed for next year. I hope we can arrange all of our busy schedules for another great vacation. I am happy to answer anyone's questions. Sorry if this was too long! I love the Disboards and you all have been so very helpful with my planning. It wouldn't have been so successful without everyone's great wisdom and love of Disney. Thanks.
First time at SSR. Beautiful resort. Very large and spread out. Used Florida Tours. Very prompt, courteous and would not hesitate to recommend them. Alittle late for p/u back to airport. Driver apologized profusely and even rejected first attempt at a tip, but of course we persevered and he took it. Can't help traffic and the dispatcher even got on the phone with us to make sure we were satisfied. Wow.
Rented baby equipment (full size crib, exersaucer and toys) from A Baby's Best Friend. If you have an infant, do it! Well worth the cost. Aidan slept very well and the toys/exersaucer were welcome distractions and a safe place to put him for a few minutes. Everything clean and packaged well.
Switched from a studio (first nite) to 2-1 bedrooms (4 nites). The switch was pretty painless, but did take alittle longer than we thought. However, the last day service more than made up for it as we pre-arranged bell services to retrieve all the luggage and all the baby equipment in time to be picked up for the airport. Very efficient and friendly. Front desk very pleasant. Asked for and got Congress Park water view.
Crowds: seemed more crowded than it was. Mornings were almost walk ons.
Christmas decorations/music were still in full force. Must admit, it felt weird hearing the music a week after the holidays! Don't think we appreciated the decorations as much either just because, well, it's over!
Experienced a few firsts this time. We are seasoned disney lovers, but tend to do the same things, so this time we tried a few different things. Ate dinner in Italy. Wasn't our first choice (Canada was), but we loved the food there. Extremely attentive waiter and we tipped accordingly. Food was delicious and dessert heavenly. Had dinner at Yakitori House one evening and it was just ok.
Had one gastrointestinal experience too. My SIL and I had a frozen Italian Margarita from the booth outside and we both got sick from it. He, shall I say, more violently than I, but my reaction was a bad case of Montezuma's revenge. We were the only ones who were ill, and the only ones who had this drink. So, I think it was the margarita (from a machine).
Saw Fantasmic for the first time at MGM and we loved it. Very well done. Also saw Lion King for the first time. I cannot recommend this show enough. So entertaining and magical. Now speaking of magical moments!!!! We got one! The kids all went on Expedition Everest while we did a child swap with Aidan and they came running off the ride with all day Fast Passes for their Dream Wish!!!!! The entire train got one. I was so happy for them. Aidan was given stickers by cast members throughout the week and one parade cast member stopped during the parade to interact with him and Aidan let out a gorgeous smile much to the entertainment of the people across the street. It was priceless.
I cannot think of anything that was a real negative on this trip, but here are my quick recommendations:
Expedition Everest: Kickin' ride. In every way, a really fun coaster.
Single Rider Line: If you can pull yourself away from your family members for the duration of a ride, do it. Faster than a fast pass line. All my kids are adults, so no issue here!
Tower of Terror: What was I thinking??? I thought I could handle this ride! Went on it a long time ago and my memory clearly failed me because I came off this ride literally shaking. I will NOT be making this same mistake ever again. Even my DD said that our particular 'sequence' was a long one. Great for me right? Not.
Pirate tutorial: See it! It is obvious that people do not know about this yet as it is not posted anywhere. A security guard approached us because we looked confused (nah, we always look like that!) and we just told him we couldn't decide what to do next. Then we asked him about the pirate tutorial, and he lifts off his hat and lo and behold, he jots down the schedule for the day! Why thank you! We were there for the first show of the day and it was hilarious!
Captain Jack and Mac are a perfect duo and it is an audience friendly show right outside of the POC building. You just form a circle around them and enjoy the antics. Loved it.
The addition of Captian Jack to the POC ride: We really liked it.
Oh, I did think of a negative...not Disney's fault. As we were walking into the Indiana Jones show, it was announced that it would be standing room only. Ok, no problem. I carried Aidan and as we approached the entrance, people started to push and for a split second, I was really scared. I didn't yell, but I did state in a louder voice, "people, I have a baby here"!
It would have been very easy for someone to stumble and fall and would the crowd have stopped pushing? I don't think so. And as I have learned, once inside, it wasn't crowded to the very far left of the arena and of course there were seats still available down front! Yea!
No, we weren't in the center, but we didn't care.
We found that 5 nites just isn't enough! We did not get to enjoy the SSR amenities at all. It was very cool mid-week and we did enjoy the parks during the day. By 8-9 we were exhausted and gladly used our darling grandson as our excuse to go home too! The resort was a great place to spread out and relax at nite. If I am being honest, I like the lushness of OKW better, but liked the food and selection more at SSR. Less fried stuff and more options. We rented points from 2 DVC owners (for the studio the 1st nite and the 1 bedrooms thereafter). Had very positive experiences and will do it again. We are a very responsible family and respectful of these beautiful resorts. A Disney cruise is being discussed for next year. I hope we can arrange all of our busy schedules for another great vacation. I am happy to answer anyone's questions. Sorry if this was too long! I love the Disboards and you all have been so very helpful with my planning. It wouldn't have been so successful without everyone's great wisdom and love of Disney. Thanks.
